Reading FC Women’s poor run of form continued with a scoreless draw away at relegation threatened Leicester City Women.
The Royals have now gone without a win in their last nine Women’s Super League matches which leaves them in eighth in the table after picking up two points from their last eight matches.
In a game that presented few chances for either side, Reading picked up their first clean sheet since March in their final away match of the campaign.
On a winless run of eight games in the Women’s Super League, Kelly Chambers made one switch from the defeat against West Ham as top scorer Natasha Dowie returned to the side in place of captain Natasha Harding.
Goalkeeper Grace Moloney took over as skipper for the day in the Royals’ final away match of the season.
Reading showed some early positive signs when they got forward and space opened up on the left for Lily Woodham to hit a goal bound shot that struck a Leicester City body.
The Foxes grew into the game at the King Power Stadium and came agonisingly close to breaking through the middle but were prevented by Justine Vanhaevermaet’s excellent intervention as she spotted the danger.
Leicester came a whisker away from taking the lead in the15th minute when Shannon O’Brien breezed past the challenge of Gemma Evans but couldn’t provide the finishing touch as her shot bounced off the base of the post.
It was a close and tense affair in the opening half hour, with both sides cautious to push on too much, particularly in the case of the hosts who are involved in a fight for survival.
O’Brien caused more problems for the Royals when she slalomed out of a challenge and was left with space in the box, but her left footed strike sailed over Moloney’s crossbar.
Sanne Troeslgaard picked up the first booking of the game after a tussle with a defender from a corner kick.
The half came to a close with neither side being able to snuff out the other in order to find a breakthrough.
With an hour gone in the contest, neither keeper had been troubled with just one shot on target, which came from Reading in the opening 45.
With 20 minutes left, Chambers made her first change as Harding replaced Deanna Cooper.
The Royals boss made another change with 15 minutes to go with Tia Primmer taking the place of Troelsgaard
She looked to make an instant impact when the ball fell for her in the box on the half volley, and while she managed to hit it on target from a narrow angle, it caused no problem for Demi Lambourne who made a simple catch.
Natasha Flint came close to finding a goal for the hosts when she connected sweetly with a first timed shot but Money flew across to her left to keep it out.
Leicester almost snatched the game witha free-kick in the 90th minute but a kind deflection ensured the ball struck the post instead of find the net.
Evans then came close in stoppage time but was denied by Lambourne’s low stop as the points were shared.
The Royals have just one game remaining in the season when they host high-flying Manchester City at the Select Car Leasing Stadium next Sunday.
Leicester City: Lambourne, Tierney, McManus (c), Pike, Goodwin, De Graaf, Howard, Gregory, Plumptre, Purfield, O’Brien
Subs: Harris, Brougham, Flint, Devlin, Bailey-Gayle, Barker, Boddy, Baker, Scofield
Reading: Moloney (c), Bryson, Evans, Cooper, Woodham, Vanhaevermaet, Troelsgaard, Eikeland, Rowe, Rose, Dowie
Subs: Stewart, Poulter, Roberts, Peplow, Primmer, Harding
